i disagree completely.....how can the rivalry be with players who change every couple of years?.....there can be short lived rivalries based on a playoff series or something like that but almost all true rivalries are based on geography, shared commonalities with the fans outside of he game itself .

i also think it is impossible to have a real rivalry with fans who are largely indifferent to the game.

look at all the great long lasting rivalries in sports....im not sure how you can argue that geography doesnt play a major factor....there are very few examples where unlike cities have real rivalries....and almost no examples where the rivalries are formed by the players.